Chapter 1: Bitter Revelations
The rain fell hard, a relentless torrent drenching the streets of Owathe. Belinda Wright, soaked to the bone, trudged through the downpour, her eyes fixed on the Dream Club ahead. Despite the sheets of water falling all around her, she kept a steady grip on the cake, desperate to protect it from the storm.
She had promised Lucas.
But as she reached the entrance to the private room, a conversation within stopped her in her tracks. A smooth and confident voice cut through the thick air.

"Verena, for those three years you were gone, Lucas never stopped looking for you. And now, you're finally back."
Her breath caught in her throat. Verena Reed? The woman who had once been Lucas Clark’s girlfriend? The one whose shadow still lingered over his life?
"Isn’t Lucas married?" came a soft voice, full of doubt.
Another voice answered, cold and venomous. "Does it matter? Lucas was forced into that marriage. His father threatened to kill you if he didn’t marry that woman. He only married Belinda to protect you."
Belinda. The name felt like a slap.
A chill slithered through Belinda’s spine as she pressed her ear closer to the door, fighting the rising nausea.
“Are you sure about that?” Verena’s voice trembled, uncertain.